Water-containing lubricant for composition bearings



Patented Sept. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATER-CONTAINING LUBRICANT FOR COMPOSITION BEARINGS Robert C. Williams, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The Ironsides Company, Columbus, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio No Drawing. Application May 5, 1939, Serial No. 272,015

4 Claims. (C1. 184-1) This invention relates to lubricants and more particularly to lubricants of the type wherein water is the predominating ingredient, the remaining ingredients being present in proportions of less than by weight.

In a more specific aspect, the present invention ration. Water, so employed, serves as a lubricant in addition to its cooling function. I

To function advantageously, however, best re sults are obtained when the water is fully and equally distributed over the bearing surfaces. Bearing surfaces, composed of phenol-formaldehyde resins, and other related condensation products, are not readily and completely wet" by water. This is evident by the way water gathers in the form of capillary beads on the surfaces of such materials.

It is anobject of the present invention to improve the lubricating and/or cooling powers of water, when the latter is employed in the capacity set forth, by the addition thereto of suitable spreading or wetting" agents. Many of these so-called wetting agents are now available on the open market under various trade names and certain of which I have found suitable for the purposes of the present invention. The addition of minor percentages of these agents enable water to spread evenly over the rubbing surfaces of the bearings, providing the latter with liquid protection of such nature that relatively low rotational speeds of the rotating part of the bearing, and

high unit pressures, may be successfully with- (1), R-COzNa-where R represents the. fatty alkyl groups. Ordinary soap, such as sodium oleate, is an example of this type.

(2) RSO4Na-fatty alcohol sulphates are examples of this type. i

(3) RAr-SOaNa-where R. is a primary or secondary non-fatty alkyl grou and Ar an aryl or aromatic group. The sodium salt of isopropyl naphthalene sulphonic acid is an exampleof this type of wetting agent.

(4) R'z-CHSO4Na-the so-called Tergitol compounds, namely, sodium secondaryalcohol sulphates.

(5) Common sulphonated oils, such as castor oil.

(6) RCONHC2H4SO4N& (sulphated fatty acid amides) (7) RCOOCzH4SO4Na (sulphated fatty acid esters) (8) R'O 0 0-0 H:

-'0OC(lJSOaNa (sulphonated esters of alcohols and dibasic acids) (9) RO O C-C H:

R'O O C- --0S OaNa (sulphated esters of higher alcohols and dibasic acids) The general characteristic of suitable wetting agents is the existence in the molecule of a polar group, which is strongly hydrophilic, and a nonpolar group, generally of a hydrocarbon nature, as represented by R, R or Ar above.

Certain wetting agents, such as those set forth in most of the examples above, are eifective in resisting the action of hard water and, also, tend to prevent the precipitating-action of hard water on soap when used in connection with soap. It 3 is within the purview of the invention to use these wetting agents in conjunction with soap, oil-inwater emulsions and alone. The amount of the wetting agent employed is usually very low, as disclosed in the following tables. In use, the lubricant or coolant is circulated in a closed system of which the bearing is a part, so that loss of the agent is minimized.

In testing the lubricants forming the present invention, a phenol-formaldehyde resin type of hearing was held against a steel rotor in a Tlmken lubricant tester. Many such tests disclosed that the power consumption when a wetting agent was employed was much less than when water was used alone. Results of certain of suchtests are to be found in the following table:

Power Lubricant Working load figfflf z ggggg machine Watts Water, obtained from 20 lbs. on lever 800 it. per 860 mnnicipal mains, (12,500 lbs. per minute at lumbus, Ohio. square inch). rubbing surfaces. Water, as above, con-- ining: 3.57 tashsoap.. 560 1.75 potash map. 130 .24 tash soap, 510

2.1 g a 0.5% Tergitoi 4 (a so- 740 dium secondary alcohol sulphate). .l% to .2% OrvusW- 750 a paste oompnsmg a fatty alcohol sulphate of the RS04Na vn .l% Santo-Merse No. 3 .do do- 760 (a substituted arogc sulphonic acid .2%to .4% sulphonated ..do -.d0 730 caster oil (75% a I strength) .1% Santo- Merse No. 3.

The above percentages of, the various ingredients given are by weight. This is true in the balance of the specification and claims, unless otherwise specified. Inconducting the above tests, the temperatures of the various lubricants were always well within the safe limits of bearing operation.

Another important group of wetting agents sation products have been lubricated with water but so far as I am aware, the water has not been modified by the addition of minor percentages of wetting agents thereto. Also, in the lubrication of composition bearings, soaps have been added to glycerin, but in this class of lubricants, the

- water employed, if any, has been but a minor inent practice is to coat the roll necks with grease satisfactory for the purpose of lubricating com- Per cent Paramn oil (Saybolt vis. 100 sec. at 100 F.) 76.2 Triethanolamine 7.8 Oleic acid 16.0

The above preparation may be added to water to form the internal phase of the resulting emulsion, in proportions of less than 5% by weight to the water used.

I am aware of the fact that composition bearings composed of phenol-formaldehydev condenor oil to prevent seizure taking place during the shut-down. The use of my improved lubricant 'makes this unnecessary.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of lubricating composition bearings of the phenol-formaldehyde resin type, comprising applying to the journal surfaces of such abearing during active use of the latter a liquid composed principally of water and having uniformly dispersed therein minor percentages of a wetting agent, said agent being a water miscible compound of the class represented by the formula R-SOx-M wherein R represents a non-polar group of a hydrocarbon nature from the group consisting of fatty alkyls, primary and secondary non-fatty alkyls; and aryls; SO: represents a strongly hydrophilic polar group from the class consisting of sulfates and sulfonates; and M represents an alkali metal.

2. The method of lubricating and cooling composition bearings of the synthetic resin type which are not readily wet by water which comprises the step of applying to the journal surfaces of such a bearing during active use thereof an aqueous lubricant, said lubricant being composed primarily of water and containing as an essential component a wetting agent dispersed therein of the class represented by the formula RSOXM wherein R represents a non-polar group of a hydrocarbon nature from the group consisting of fatty alkyls, primary and secondary non-fatty alkyls, and aryls: SO: represents a strongly hydrophilic polar group from the class consisting of sulfates and sulfonates; and M represents an alkali metal.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 in which the wetting agent is a sulfated fatty hydrocarbon derivative.

4. The method as set forth in claim 2 in which the wetting agent is a suifonated hydrocarbon derivative.

ROBERT C. WILLIAMS. 

